Canada: Sikh driver flees to India after being convicted for smuggling cocaine

Canadian authorities are on the lookout for a 60-year-old Sikh truck driver who fled to India after he was convicted of smuggling nearly 80 kg of cocaine into Canada from the United States, reported the local media.

Raj Kumar Mehmi was sentenced to 15-year-imprisonment in absentia by a provincial court in British Columbia earlier in November this year after he was arrested in the year 2017 for smuggling a controlled substance, the CBC reported on Wednesday (Dec 13).

However, on Oct 11, just a month before he could be sentenced, he boarded a flight to New Delhi from Vancouver, reported the Vancouver Sun.

Arash Seyed, a spokesman with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's (RCMP) federal serious and organised crime division said that a Canada-wide warrant has been issued for Mehmi.

"If you locate this suspect or have information regarding his whereabouts, please do not approach him and contact your local police agency," Seyed said announcing the warrant in Surrey on Wednesday, as per CBC.

A red notice has also been issued in his name which asks member countries to help locate, arrest and extradite Mehmi to face criminal charges in Canada.

Mehmi, in a separate release, was described as 185cm in height (just over six feet tall) and weighing 91 kilogrammes.

Also read: Will US accept Hindu president? Ramaswamy answers critical question and says 'won't fake identity'

“Our officers are the first line of defence in keeping illicit drugs from crossing Canada’s borders and we are proud to work with the RCMP to ensure those who break our laws are held accountable. The seizure of over $3 million of cocaine at our Pacific Highway border crossing and the subsequent 15-year conviction is a direct result of the strong partnership between our organisations and the diligent work of our officers,” CBSA Pacific Region director Holly Stoner said.

Mehmi's truck was stopped while he was at the Pacific Highway border crossing into Metro Vancouver, said the Canada Border Services Agency, as per CBC reports.

His truck was randomly selected by the officials for a secondary examination, which was when the drugs were discovered.

"During their search, CBSA officers found 80 bricks of cocaine inside the sleeper cab of the commercial vehicle," the agency's Pacific region director Holly Stoner said.

"The driver was arrested and taken into custody."

"There are certain conditions where an individual may be granted a passport, such as emergency situations," Seyed was quoted as saying by CBC.